Your thoughts on whether or not...........

[J.]

.............a full length's worth of material released by a band is an actual album or just a long demo.

In other words, does an album have to be released by a label to be considered an actual album? Or is it just a long demo?

I've always wondered this, because Scald's Headworm is an hour long, easily a full-length by any standards, but the band self-financed everything. So is Headworm a demo to some of you?

Just curious.

 

[Krilons Resa]

Demos aren't, initially anyways, officially "released" and sold though are they? Also usually quite short just to (demo)nstrate themselves and their sound to whoever, be it a select few fans or a big label.

 

[J.]

I think a lot of times demos are sold. Most bands send them off to a bunch of labels and then sell a bunch to pay for that postage and get back some of the expenditure from studio time and whatnot. I'm sure Erik can shed some light on this.

My question can also apply to Morrigan's Celts, since it was not officially released by any label. Do you consder it a long demo?

For the record, I consider Headworm and Celts and others like these as full length albums.

 

[Krilons Resa]

I also consider them both albums.

 

[HarmonyDies....]

Depends. I mean if they want to release it as a demo, simply to mail it to labels and so on, then it's purely a demo, but if a band as a self-financed recording that they want to be an "album" then by all means, it should be an album. I mean it could still server the same purpose as a demo.

 

[J.]

I know Scald mailed Headworm to tons of labels and I'm sure Morrigan did the same, and now both are selling the recording.

 

[Dev]

Promo cd in order to spread their name . Done for Demos & Albums , difference is that Scald is not on Nuclear Blast so they pay the whole thing

 

[Demonspell]

I count self-financed albums as I would officially released product...I generally distinguish between demos and full-fledged albums by length and format, though the distinction is becoming less obvious with today's technology...

 

[NAD]

In other words, does an album have to be released by a label to be considered an actual album?

No. Label or not, an album is an album.

Demos to me are like a recorded rehearsal or an unfinished song used for demonstrative purposes like BSW said.

 

[Ayeka]

Yeah, a demo should be just that - to "demonstrate" - like work in progress, or simply generate publicity. So you can have an album-length demo doing that, but I think a proper album would be promoted as such...sort of like "this is what we do and we know what we're doing".

Ugh...that all applies both ways as well >_< I know what I mean anyway!!!!!

 

[Jim LotFP]

.............a full length's worth of material released by a band is an actual album or just a long demo.

In other words, does an album have to be released by a label to be considered an actual album? Or is it just a long demo?

I've always wondered this, because Scald's Headworm is an hour long, easily a full-length by any standards, but the band self-financed everything. So is Headworm a demo to some of you?

Just curious.

If you're going to call it an album, make sure it's professionally produced and packaged.

It would take a fuckwit of great stature to call, for example, Lilitu's Memorial a 'demo'.